Brunei and Russia established diplomatic relations in 1991. Brunei maintains an embassy in Moscow, whilst Russia's

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

to Malaysia is accredited to Brunei as a non-resident ambassador.

Background of Soviet-era relations

In 1987,

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

called for the establishment of diplomatic relations with Brunei. Although the Soviet ambassador to Singapore attempted to establish said relations with Brunei in 1988, the Sultanate was unprepared to establish relations with the Communist state at the time. On 1 October 1991, Brunei established relations with the Soviet Union.

Post-Soviet relations

In 2000 President Vladimir Putin arrived in Brunei for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit met with the

Sultan of Brunei The sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head of state of Brunei and head of government in his capacity as prime minister of Brunei. Since independence from the British in 1984, only one sultan has reigned, though the royal institution dates bac ...

Hassanal Bolkiah Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III ( Jawi: ; born 15 July 1946) is the 29th and current Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan of Brunei since 1967 and the Prime Minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one ...

, in the Nurul Iman Palace. On 10 June 2005, the

, made the first official visit to Russia by a head of state of Brunei. According to Gennady Chufrin, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the visit marked a serious step towards the establishment of bilateral relations. On 1 December 2008, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed an order to establish a

Russian embassy This is a list of diplomatic missions of Russia. These missions are subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Russian Federation has one of the largest networks of embassies and consulates of any country. Russia has significant ...

in Bandar Seri Begawan. Andrei Nesterenko, the spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the establishment of a Russian embassy in the Brunei capital would help to intensify issues surrounding the Brunei–Russia relationship. As of January 2018, Brunei and Russia maintain a visa-free regime for ordinary passport holders, for visits up to 14 days, for a maximum total stay of 90 days within any 180 day period.

References

Russia Bilateral relations of Russia {{Bilateralrelations-stub